Note: Articles viewed in Adobe PDF format (better for printing and saving) require the Adobe Acrobat Reader. You can get a free copy of the reader by clicking here:

Frog Men Find Missing Boat

Reprinted from theWilkes-Barre Record June 23, 1955

A motorboat
that sank about 20 years ago [1935] while making a test run at Harvey's
Lake has been located in 85 feet of water opposite Warden Place and efforts
are planned to salvage it.

The boat built by Jack Zorzi of 81 East
Jackson Street, Wilkes-Barre, is known as a Margaret boat and was of
the 151 cubic inch class. It had a top speed of 45 miles an hour.

The sinking occurred while Zorzi was
operating the boat. Going through the water at fast speed, the boat hit
a large wave. The craft went into the air and capsized. Zorzi was thrown
clear and escaped.

Several weeks were spent grappling for
the boat in the hope a hook would engage the propellor shaft or some
other part of the boat but none of the efforts were successful. Grappling
work was abandoned and Zorzi practically gave up hope of recovering the
boat.

The long missing boat was discovered
Saturday afternoon by a group of four “frogmen” who are pursuing
their hobby of exploring the underwater labyrinth of the lake. Three
of the men were exploring the waters while the fourth remained in a boat
to direct an anchor line leading to the swimmers.

The 85-foot descent to the bottom of
the lake where the boat was found was made by Malcolm Lewis, 29, of Forty-Fort,
who is residing at Harveys Lake for the summer; George Dombeck, 28, of
Maple Street, Wilkes-Barre and Gerald McGourty, 27, of Park Avenue, Wilkes-Barre.
Frank “Buck”
Kelly of Forty-Fort, the fourth member of the crew, was in the boat of
Chief of Police J. Russell Taylor in the lake some distance from Mr.
Zorzi’s boathouse at Warden Place. Mr Zorzi and Chief of Police
Taylor are neighbors at Harvey’s Lake.

Mr. Lewis said the “frogmen” did
not serve in the navy in a similar capacity but became interested in
underwater explorations about a year ago when they purchased the equipment
and decided to make underwater trips as a hobby. During World War 2 the
United States Navy used “frogmen”
as intelligence agents prior to amphibious landings and for dangerous
work which had to be done under water.

When they discovered the boat on the
bottom of the lake, Mr. Lewis said, he, Dombeck and McGourty found the
visibility about 15 to 18 feet. He said the bottom of the lake was barren
and muddy and the temperature was about 40 degrees.

He said the lake was dark below 40 feet
but that the water seemed to clear when the “frogmen” were
at 85-foot depth.

The boat is upside down in the lake bottom
mud and while metal trimmings are rusted and he said the mahogany hull
appears to be in good condition.

The “frogmen” did not walk
on the bottom of the lake but swam, Mr. Lewis said. He said they “swam
down” an anchor rope from the Taylor boat in making the descent.

Though he did not know what method might
be used Mr. Lewis said an effort might be made on Saturday to salvage
the boat and return it to the surface. He said the use of a big float
to try to surface the boat has been discussed together with the possibility
of taking aqua-lungs to the bottom and pumping them full of air and then
trying to raise the boat. The method which he said might have to be used
will be that of taking oil drums filled with water, putting them under
the boat, and then hoisting the boat to the surface.

“This is no hobby for a person
who does not know what he is attempting,”
Mr. Lewis said. He said “frogmen” have to wear three of four
pairs of heavy, long underwear under the rubber suits to keep warm. Fins,
which the “frogmen” wear on their feet, are a necessity Mr.
Lewis declared.

On their backs, Mr. Lewis said, the “frogmen” carry
41-pound air tanks and after they don the full regalia of underwear and
rubber suits they put on a “weight belt” which weighs about
10 pounds.

“The deeper you go the more air
you use,” Mr. Lewis said. Tanks of air are good for from one hour
to one hour 15 minutes in 30 feet of water but at depths of 100 feet
they are good for only about 25 minutes.

“Frogmen’s suits have self-contained
underwater breathing apparatus with regulators on the aqua-lungs and
with a reserve section as part of the air tanks. The reserve section
would provide air for some minutes after the regular tank air supply
is exhausted.”

Mr. Lewis said the local “frogmen” have
no communication with the surface when exploring Harveys Lake. He said
communication with the surface could be established by taking ropes beneath
the surface but there is always the possibility of becoming entangled
in the ropes while swimming.